Liam Bailey’s “Mercy Tree” willfully calls out racism in the true spirit of resistance reggae. Bailey, who spent his childhood in Nottingham, England, tapped into his memories of “all the cliche racism that happens when people started mixing up in the ’80s in England” to write “Mercy Tree.” The stately horns, Bailey’s voice, and the foot-stomping drum are fused together into a modern-day protest song. Leon Michels of the El Michels Affair produced the single that demands equality and reparations. “Mercy Tree” is the third single from Bailey’s forthcoming Zero Grace album, which is scheduled to arrive in February.  “Mercy Tree” is the third single from the album and an example of the kind of honesty the album title suggests. Bailey is singing with pure intention and no apologies for his truth. “Mercy Tree” should go down as one of reggae’s rebel classics.  

Dub poet Mutabaraka ceases a 14-year break with the release of “Black Attack” produced by Mad Professor. The dub prophets reconnect to make a perky song about everything in the way of progress for Black people. Mutabaraka’s list of problems is serious but Mad Professor’s rhythms sound festive despite the gloomy poetic assessment. He explained how the song happened in a statement, “’Black Attack’ is attacking all the things that are keeping black people from progressing after 500 years of slavery and now colonialism, I had connected with Mad Professor over ten years ago and he actually sent some riddims but we didn’t connect again until last year when I was in England.”

The single is the first from Mutabaraka’s upcoming album also titled Black Attack. He is just as concerned with Black life and freedom as he was when he started publishing his poems in the ’70s. His Cutting Edge and Steppin’ Razor radio shows were another place where he shared his strong opinions and they were two of the most popular shows in Jamaica. Mutabaraka and Mad Professor performed together at Rototom Sunsplash in Europe earlier this month. Black Attack comes out on October 6th via Shanachie Records. 

Stephen Marley’s “No Cigarette Smoking (In My Room)” is a duet with Melanie Fiona from his sophomore album The Revelation Part.1  The Root Of Life. Marley and Fiona were the epitome of laidback romance and it worked thanks to a tranquil bass and Marley’s gentle calls for intimacy. The album was number one on the reggae charts and earned a Grammy for the best in the category. Marley wrote and produced all of the songs on The Revelation Part. 1. He released The Revelation Part. 2 The Fruit Of Life in 2016. The single “Old Soul” was released on April 20th which was his 51st birthday. On June 24th he will kick off his Babylon By Bus Summer Tour. 

Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” was a weird mix of reggae, rock and new wave. The British singer wrote “Electric Avenue” in response to the 1981 Brixton Riot that was the result of tension between Black youth and the police. Brixton’s Black citizens were angry and suspicious about the deaths of 13 Black teenagers who died in the New Cross house fire and ongoing acts of discrimination. Grant was outraged by the events and wrote the song soon after relocating to Barbados. Electric Avenue is also the first market street in South London to have electricity. Surprisingly, “Electric Avenue” was one of the biggest hits of the ’80s and received heavy play on MTV after Michael Jackson’s “Bille Jean” broke through on the network for Black artists. Killer On The Rampage is Grant’s sixth album and it is his most successful having made the top 10 in the UK and the United States. Eddy Grant’s 15th studio album Plaisance was released in 2017. In 2020, Grant sued Donald Trump for using “Electric Avenue” in an advertisement.